The new Vialia Vigo high speed train station and public plaza transforms a former local rail station into an invigorated cosmopolitan center. It integrates infrastructure and civic space, synthesizing a diverse range of public, retail, commercial and transportation programs, it will serve as a critical transportation hub for the city of Vigo and the region.
Vialia Vigo’s narrow site negotiates a 55ft (17m) drop in elevation, sloping from an elevated residential area, down towards Vigo’s city center to the north. Nestled into the mountainous terrain, the undulating roof-scape of the four-story station serves as a public plaza, whose surface folds downward to reveal a soaring atrium below. In one broad architectural gesture, this fluid surface establishes formal continuity from plaza to station and unites the project’s disparate program elements.
The scheme stitches together the surrounding context and reinforces the station’s urban connection to the city of Vigo. The plaza serves as both connective tissue and vibrant public space. The central atrium functions as the station’s main lobby—the heart of Vialia Vigo. The public plaza’s prominent position and the atrium’s transparent façade afford sweeping vistas of the sea. Circulation flows are oriented to facilitate navigation, optimize connectivity, and fill the station’s public spaces with cosmopolitan activity. From a distance, the glowing glass canopy that caps the atrium identifies the plaza at night, and lighting beckons activity within. From the highway, striated lights reveal a dynamic façade that serves as a public communication interface and echoes the motion of the train station beyond. A metal mesh veils the site from the north and provides entry into the station from street level.